Tag Archives: canada health care

Canada has been all the talk among those of us in the natural birth realm over the past few months.

A few weeks ago, they instigated new medical protocols regarding breech births…basically requesting that doctors actually attempt vaginal births even when a breech is present BEFORE conducting a C-section. As a resutl, doctors in Canada are now being trained in breech presentation which is basically becoming a lost art among OBs her in the U.S.

More recently, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada came out with the following statements APPROVING natural birth and displacing the theory that medical interventions are ALWAYS necessary.

“We want to be sure that women who are at low risk for complications receive adequate information and support to have a normal birth.” … “…the number of medical interventions used in healthy pregnancies is on the rise and could be subjecting mothers and babies to risks they don’t need to take.“

Additionally, Canada recently conducted a study that found planned homebirths to be SAFER than planned hospital births. The best part about this study though is that it takes into account planned hospital births with a physician and ALSO with a midwife. Homebirths STILL won out. So often people seem to think that just birthing with a midwife is enough…what we forget is that there is so much more that will affect the outcome of a birth than just the overseeing practitioner. The sense of comfort, familiarity, and naturalness that comes from birthing at home can obviously improve outcomes in a way that the stark environment of a hospital simply can not.

(of course, they had to sneak in that the data gained from midwives was limited by the incomplete nature AND ONLY accept data from REGISTERED midwives.) *sigh*